


The Eyes of the Beholder

by IGotNothin



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Minecraft, Mad King Ryan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 19:21:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3085055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGotNothin/pseuds/IGotNothin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They should have just killed that cow, when they had the chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Eyes of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve wanted to write this for ages, since I’ve been too busy with Crown Sings, Among the Robots, and First of Many (stuff is coming, the issue is that I only write it in school and it’s finals soon so I’ve actually been paying attention in class). Thanks to break for finally giving me the chance.
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

Kerry dropped the key at his feet, and waved him away with some cruelly apathetic grin. His eyes were cold- hardened by ages under the Mad King’s rule. Under the malevolent control of the man who had once been so benign, that he couldn’t even kill a cow.

In another world, Geoff would have felt bad for the servant. He was no more guilty than any of them were. He’d been tricked in the same way as they had all been. Had been forced to watch his friend be driven mad by his own selfish quest for power. In another world, Geoff would have felt bad for Kerry. He had been as close to the Mage as any of them had been, after all.

In this world, he only felt fury towards the servant who had gone along with Haywood’s plans, without complaint. There had been no hesitation, once the Mage had seized the throne. The boy, who had once been so loyal, had instantly turned against them, without a second of hesitation. Had willingly gone with Haywood to lock them away, for as long as he remained entertained by them.

There wasn’t much to hate in the servant, however. Kerry had remained eerily silent since Haywood had locked his closest friends away in the dungeons, trapped next to some poor cow. It was strange for a man like Kerry, who had once been so outspoken, to lose his voice so suddenly. Geoff could understand it, though. Even if he couldn’t empathise.

“Just me, or does Haywood want the others, too?” He made sure that even that submissive statement had some slight edge of fire in it. The day that he gave into to Haywood’s will without rebellion would be a cold day in hell.

Kerry pointed to the cells of the other prisoners and nodded. A clear sign, from him, that Haywood wanted all five of them, for some reason.

That was another thing that had confused Geoff, from the beginning. Haywood had locked them away, five friends, in the same dungeon. They had been inches away from each other. Close enough to touch- some of them. That wasn’t a smart plan, if he wanted the previous king not to plan a revolution with his four most loyal warriors.

Haywood knew how they worked. Had pretended to be their friend for long enough to know what Geoff would do. Either he was a complete idiot, or he was so prideful that he couldn’t imagine anyone toppling his regimine.

Either way, Geoff had remained in that dungeon for long enough to hate the man. Any visage of friendship was gone. Haywood’s lies were just that. Lies that had been meant to make them comfortable. He was just a vagabond, who had been searching for limitless power. Geoff’s stupid mistakes had handed it to him.

The shackles clanged open, and slipped off of his wrists, with one twist of the key. He rubbed them, even as he walked over to Michael’s cell. It was nice to feel the blood rushing through his arms, again. The monthly meetings with Haywood usually didn’t provide enough time out of the shackles. It was always just a cruel taste of freedom, that was snatched away from them as soon as he was bored of them. That was probably why Haywood did the monthly meetings, in the first place. Another subtler way of torture, now that he had run out of the major forms of it.

Michael presented his wrists to him the second that Geoff had his door open. The warrior hated his position more than any of the others probably did, and was always quick to shed his bindings. For a warrior, who was so used to controlling everything around him, to be reduced to something less than a slave, was probably traumatic. Which was probably why Haywood had done it to him.

Michael tore his arms away from Geoff the second that the shackles were gone. He’d become more reserved since Haywood had taken power. His famous anger- that had been loud and powerful- had changed. Instead of the furious man that had once wiped out armies, there was just a slave with fire in his eyes and clenched fists, who wanted to get revenge just slightly more than he wanted to escape.

“What does Haywood want, now?” Michael asked, with bitterness heavy in his mouth.

“To hell if I know.”

Gavin reacted more eagerly to the taste of freedom, that Haywood granted them every month, than any of them. He raced towards the key before Geoff even had it in the cell door. He had a grin on his face, that didn’t suit the situation at all. There was too much relief- too much happiness there. The type of thing that was usually sucked out of the air by the depressing tone of the Mad King’s rule.

“Jesus, calm down, Gavvers. Let Geoff actually get you out of there, before you start sucking his dick.” Michael commented, with a slight edge of humor. Gavin jerked back, and a blush formed on his cheeks.

“I’m not sucking anyone’s dick, Mogar!” Gavin exclaimed.

Something crossed Michael’s face, an expression that was as sad as anything there. Hearing his warrior name again must have hurt him, a little. Whatever it was, it flickered away after a second, to be replaced by his cool persona.

“You’re getting yours sucked, then?”

Gavin blushed again, when Geoff undid his chains. Geoff let out a laugh- loud and bellowing and against everything that their situation stood for. Fuck Haywood, he could still laugh. If there was only meant to be one sign of rebellion, let that be it.

Jack was always one of the easiest to deal with. He just presented his arms to Geoff, without a word, and stepped out of the cell with a light sigh. There were no sarcastic comments with him.

He was a relief, sometimes, when things got too stressful. Nothing seemed to faze him. Even when Gavin lost his excitement, and Michael’s anger would overpower his caution, Jack was there with a light joke, and they were all laughing again. He was a rock, more so than any of them were.

Ray was the easiest to free, by far. All Geoff had to do was slide him the key, and Ray would free himself. Geoff didn’t even have to busy himself with the cell doors. Ray could handle it, on his own.

“Didn’t realize it was the monthly ‘Praise Ryan’ day.” Ray commented, with the same light apathy that he always had, once he was free.

Geoff watched Gavin flinch, at the use of Haywood’s first name. Ray, after years under his control, still refused to stop calling him that. Still refused to accept that Haywood didn’t deserve the respect of that sort of familiarity.

They’d all dealt with it differently. Ray had just decided that insanity didn’t change who Haywood was before the madness, unlike the rest of them.

For Geoff, any care for the man, who had damned them, was gone. He didn’t care that they had been friends, before. He didn’t care that Haywood had helped them rebuild the kingdom, after it had been stolen from the Ramsey’s by the mobs. He didn’t care about the Haywood that had been sarcastic, and who had always answered Gavin’s questions.

He cared about Haywood in the same way that he cared about the mobs. He wanted to see him dead- no question. He wouldn’t have any hesitation, if he was given the chance to drive a sword into Haywood’s head. He would grin, and he could stick it on a pike in front of his newly-reconquered lands. He would claim the title of usurper without care or fear.

“Guess we’re lucky, huh? We get another chance to get at Haywood.” Geoff joked, and earned a snort from Jack.

“How about we just get this over with?” Michael asked. “I don’t want to spend any more time with Haywood than a have to.” He practically spit out the name. This time, it was Ray that winced. Thankfully, the assassin didn’t comment on his anger.

“Lead the way, Queerian.”

There was no humor on Kerry’s face, as he let them away from the dungeons. Geoff really didn’t care.

* * *

Haywood looked exactly the same as he had the previous month. As well as the one before that. And the year before that. And the years before that. He had the same shark-like toothy grin. The same cold red eyes, that practically stared into their souls. The same heavy purple robes, and the same old kilt as he’d always had. He didn’t even look any paler- despite the lack of time that he spent outside. He looked as if he placed some spell on himself to halt any change, physically.

He probably had. The Mage had always been clever, as well as powerful. Geoff wouldn’t put it past him to have created some new spell.

Geoff felt a surge of fury in his veins, as he set his eyes on the man. The man who had stolen everything from him, and had stomped it all into the ground. He wanted to kill him- wanted to inflict the kind of torture on Haywood that Haywood had shown to his people. Geoff wanted to do everything in his power to kill him.

Sadly, there was nothing in his power to kill him with.

“Geoff,” The familiarity in Haywood’s tone burned through him worse than his own anger did. “I trust my servant has been treating you all appropriately?”

Kerry tensed, despite the fact that it was the same question that Haywood asked every month. The servant was too nervous- too afraid of his own King. Even if it was justified, it was going to get him killed, someday.

It was going to get Haywood killed someday, too. There was no way that he could terrify the people as much as he did, and still get off scot free.

“I wouldn’t put any of the folly on his shoulders, Haywood.” Despite the uncaring tone that Geoff forced, even he would feel the bitterness hidden there. Anger that he couldn’t hide. Anger that would probably get him killed, someday, too.

“Aw, that’s just rude,” Despite himself, or maybe exactly as himself, Haywood laughed. “Here I thought we were being friendly. Maybe I should just send you back to the hole, until you learn to behave yourself.”

Michael grabbed Geoff’s arm, when he knew that Haywood wouldn’t see. It was a subtle message, that Geoff didn’t have to worry. If he wanted to go back, none of them would say anything about it. They were still loyal to him, after all of the years since his dethroning. They would still follow his lead.

Geoff appreciated that, even knowing that there was no point to it. There was nothing he could do, anymore. The time for resistance had been when Haywood had first grabbed hold of that crown. When he had first flashed red eyes, that were darker than even the lava pit that had rested near his house. When he had first created the streams of blood from the bodies of their royal guard.

They had still thought of him as a friend then. Had still been hesitant to kill him.

What a mistake they had made, in letting him live.

“Fuck you, Haywood.” It was the first time since the revolution that Geoff had outwardly spoken against the King. Since he’d cursed the man to his face. His four loyalists sent him looks of both amazement and agreement.

Something flickered in Haywood’s eyes. The red receded, giving way for a dull, and hurt, blue to take their place. Something softened on his face, and after a second, it was gone, again. Flickered back to the toothy grin and the hard red eyes, that they had seen since the revolution.

Geoff almost second guessed himself on whether he’d seen that softness at all. Whether it was actually possible for Haywood, the murderous Mad King, to actually feel remorse. It wasn’t possible, and he just hardened his own gaze. The sane Ryan was gone. He needed to accept that, or they were never going to get out of there.

“If you do so wish,” The King paused, distracted by something. There was an anger on Haywood’s face, that Geoff had never seen on him, before. He looked more angry than any stupid comment should have made him. He looked like someone had just murdered a puppy, and then told him to bury it, and he was ready to slaughter an entire country because of it. Anger that was so unreasonable that it shouldn’t have bothered to exist, in the first place. “Kerry, take them back to the hole. I have a little something to deal with.”

Haywood stood up, then, and it was the first time that they had seen him off of the throne since he had taken it. He fists were clenched- tight enough that his nails were pressing into his palm, leaving behind small streaks of blood. He hurried away, before Kerry could even begin to corral them away.

The red eyes- usually so unnervingly dark- were lighter than before, as he stormed off.

* * *

“That was fucking weird.” Michael commented, when Kerry left. The servant had left in a hurry, trailing after Haywood like some dog to his master.

“Did anyone else see his eyes? They went blue, again.” Ray said. There was something akin to hope in the man, as if he suddenly believed that his friend was back. A farfetched hope, if Geoff had ever seen one.

Had Ray not seen what Haywood had done to the village? The man had burned down the homes of peasants, and tore through the fields, for fun! He had murdered families in front of them, just so that the peasants wouldn’t dare rebel! He had tortured and slaughtered guards for being loyal to Geoff! The fact that Ray could imagine any sort of repentance for the man was distressing, to say the least.

“His magic might be wearing off,” Jack offered, with marginally less cheer. “Before this whole thing started, he told me that spells have expiration dates. He might be reaching his.”

“What spell did he even cast? Some aging thing? Is that why he’s not aged a day since he took the throne?” Michael asked. He crossed his arms as much as the shackles would allow him to.

“I guess so. I don’t really know.” It was mumbled, barely loud enough to hear. Jack’s responses were usually that way. They had all changed since Haywood had taken the throne. The awkwardness was Jack’s change. The subordination was Michael’s. The forced cheeriness, that they could all sense was not quite genuine, was Gavin’s. The false trust was Ray’s. The anger was Geoff’s.

And there was nothing any of them could do to change it.

* * *

Haywood didn’t call for them the next month.

* * *

Or the next.

* * *

On the third month, spent in shackles at the bottom of a pit, the door opened to an exasperated crew. Kerry was standing in the doorway, panic strewn across his face. He had the key pressed into his palm, digging in hard enough to leave behind marks.

“Took you long enough.” Geoff mumbled, pushing himself onto his feet. The shackles hindered the movement, but he had spent long enough with them on his wrists that he was used to them.

“Quiet,” The voice- Kerry’s- drew all of their attentions. Gavin’s whispering to Michael quieted down, as even the excitable jester recognized the importance of the situation. “His madness is getting worse! He’s going to topple the kingdom, if he goes untouched! He killed his royal knight, yesterday! He’s going after all of you, next!”

To hear Kerry, of all people, speak against the King was unheard of! The man was a coward, too afraid to ever speak against Haywood! Too afraid to even speak, at all!

“How do you know?” Ray asked, with more concern than any of the others would have shown.

“He said that you’d served your purpose. He keeps talking about a Mage, and that he has to kill the old King, and his servants. I think he’s going to kill me, too!” The servant’s voice was rusty- from years of disuse, but it was enough to get the point across.

So that was why Kerry had come to them. He was going to get killed, along the way.

Geoff honestly didn’t care what reason he had for coming to their aid. If he was intending to rescue him, then Geoff would save his life, and blow him for his troubles.

“Free us, then! We’ll help you! Just arm us, and we’ll protect you!” Geoff exclaimed. For the first time since the revolution, he felt what Ray had been feeling for all of those years. There was a hope burning in his chest, finally warming the walls of fear that had been building up for years. In minutes- in seconds, they would be free! They could topple the Haywood regime, and they would be free! Revolution was back, and it was on the right side, for once!

* * *

With a sword in his hands, Geoff felt better than he had in years. The armor- though not as easy to wield- was as familiarly heavy as it had always been. It pushed down on his shoulders in a way that comforted him- unlike the restricting shackles. He forwent the gauntlets, after a long moment of hesitation. He almost didn’t notice the others do the same.

Almost.

Gavin had his hands on a bow, and he was holding it as if it was the most precious thing to ever have existed. Jack was swinging an axe, and he had a smile on his face. Ray had a pair of daggers in his hands, and a hood over his head, shielding his face from view. Geoff couldn’t even attempt to imagine what expression he was hiding. Michael had a diamond sword in hand, and he was wearing more armor than Geoff and Jack combined. Geoff had no idea how he was holding himself, under all of that weight.

Kerry didn’t touch any of the weapons, and Geoff was grateful for it. The servant was so unprepared for battle that he would probably be a hindrance, instead of a help. Even Gavin could be helpful when he wanted to be. Kerry would just be a burden to protect during a fight. They didn’t know what powers Haywood had at his disposal. They didn’t want to risk anything.

The second that they deemed themselves suitable for battle, Michael let out a laugh that they hadn’t heard in years. A battle cry, for him.

“Fuck Haywood!” Michael exclaimed, as if it was a genuine war cry, intended to pump them for battle. It worked.

“Fuck Haywood!” Geoff repeated, and raised his sword into the air. Gavin followed his lead, and so did Jack. Eventually, so did Ray, even if he didn’t mimic their words.

“Let’s kick some Mage ass!” Michael yelled, before storming out the door, where an interested guard was already waiting. He didn’t have to wait, any longer.

* * *

Haywood’s sword was already in hand, when they stormed through the door. He looked angry- ready to slice their heads off without hesitation. Apparently, the way that the guards had allowed them to pass by, without any fight, had angered him. For some reason, he had expected loyalty out of slaves.

Maybe Haywood wasn’t quite as smart as Geoff remembered.

“Stand down, Haywood, and we will grant you a quick death.” Geoff offered.

Haywood paused for a few seconds, sarcastically considering the idea. Then, he let out a low laugh- that chilled Geoff to the bone.

“Sadly, I don’t believe that I can make you the same offer.” Haywood raised his sword, and grinned at them. This time, the toothy smile had something hidden behind it. Some hidden pain, that none of them had noticed.

Geoff didn’t mind. At that point, he didn’t care if it was a fair fight. He just wanted an end to this. The reign of the Mad King had been long and bloody, and he wanted to end it as quickly as possible. He didn’t care if Haywood was hurt. The man deserved a slow, merciless death, anyway. The type of death that Ray would probably never allow Geoff to give him.

(And somewhere, deep inside, Geoff knew that he would never be able to give to a former friend)

Haywood moved quickly- in a way that Geoff hadn’t expected. He moved as if he wasn’t held back by a heavy sword and heavier armor. Like there were no robes restricting him. While the five revolutionaries actually reacted like ordinary human beings, Haywood moved like an enderman. One moment, he was on their left, then their right, and the next he was at the back of the pack, lurching for Gavin.

Michael was quick to parry his blow to the unsuspecting man. The warrior was used to protecting the archer, and that hadn’t changed over the years.

Gavin lurched back with a shriek, and knocked an arrow onto his bow. He aimed it in front of him, obviously intending for Haywood to come at him, again.

The Mad King didn’t disappoint.

He separated from Michael without hesitation, and practically danced past Ray. He moved with a grace that he shouldn’t have. It wasn’t even that the armor and sword didn’t effect him, at all. It was that his body didn’t either. There was no hesitation- no flinching away- no normal human reactions. He moved with a grace that he shouldn’t have, as a previously peaceful Mage, who couldn’t even kill a cow.

The way that he sidestepped Gavin’s arrow shouldn’t have been possible. The way that he pushed the man down, but rolled away from the swing of Jack’s axe. The way that he jerked to the side, away from Geoff’s sword, when it was an inch away from his skull. It shouldn’t have been possible for a man- even with the training that the King could have gotten over his years on the throne.

“Really?” Haywood asked, after a few minutes of dancing away from their blades and a few stray arrows. He didn’t sound the least bit out of breathe. “I would have thought such famed warriors would have been more of a threat.”

“I would have thought- such a… mong would have, uh, sucked more knobs.”

“Good one, Gav.” Michael commented, before he lunged at the Mad King. Haywood laughed, as he dodged.

It felt like hours before they actually landed a blow on Haywood. It was a small miracle, because they were all aware that he was toying with them. The fact that he hadn’t hurt them throughout the fight was proof of that. He had dominated it, the entire time. He could have killed them all in the first minute.

But now, he was on the floor, with blood streaking down his leg. He jerked, and moved to stand up again, but his efforts were to no avail. His leg was mangled, beyond any recognition. The blade of Jack’s axe had practically severed the meat from the bone, and it was by some feat of magic that Haywood hadn’t screamed.

“Fuck.” The King muttered under his breath, and backed away from them. He sprawled onto his back, and glared at the offending injury.

Somehow, it was already healing. It was already stitching itself together like some gruesome needle sewing a thread. Haywood laughed again, and there was no pain in his voice. There was just the magic spreading across his leg, shielding it with a red smoke that was seeping into the cut itself.

Geoff moved before it could heal any further. He didn’t even notice himself shoving the sword down, just above Haywood’s chest, hovering over the armored plating.

Something flickered across Haywood’s face- a calculated coolness- and then it was gone. There was no red in his eyes. There was no toothy grin, that pushed fear into Geoff’s heart. There was no smugness or pride.

His eyes were blue. His grin was gone. Apparently, Jack was right. His magic had finally worn itself out. Haywood had failed himself, and he was going to die for it.

Geoff hesitated for a second, and he didn’t know why. He just hovered the sword over Haywood’s chest, and stared at the blue eyes- that were so much duller than they used to be. The terrified expression, that didn’t at all suit the actions that the man had committed over the past few years.

The others were quiet, but they crowded around the two Kings- one fallen and one about to fall. Even Ray, who had advocated for Haywood for so long, had given into the silence. Even with his fists clenched at his sides, and his daggers driven into the floor, he wasn’t arguing. Geoff really appreciated him for that.

Haywood moved quickly, and it conflicted with the past few peaceful moments. He let out a small sound of pain, and his face contorted as if he had an arrow lodged into his arm. His eyes flickered purple, but settled back to blue, quickly.

He was reaching for the sword, and Geoff felt disgust for it. He was going to push it away. He was going to be such a coward that he would push away the sword of his executioner, when he had acted as that same executioner so many times.

Next to him, Michael growled, and clenched his fist around his sword. He glared down at the man, but Haywood paid him no heed.

He didn’t push away from the sword. He didn’t beg for his life. He did the exact opposite of what Geoff would have expected from him.

_He grabbed onto the sword._

He tightened his grip on it, and suddenly there was blood pouring down Haywood’s arm, _because he was holding the blade of a sword_. He didn’t seem to process the pain of it, at all. He just pulled it, in a way that opened up even more cuts in his palm, and he rested it against his throat.

Blood streamed down his arms, dripping onto his face, but Haywood didn’t even seem to notice. He just stared at Geoff with blue eyes, that looked like they were tearing up, already. He pushed down on the blade, until it was drawing blood out of his own throat.

Tradition in Achievement City was that the King would fight in any battle that his soldiers did. Geoff had been brought up with that ideal, and he had fought in more wars than he could count on one hand. He had killed many people- thought not in quite the cruel way that Haywood had- and none of them had done this. None of the captured had put themselves in a situation like this. None of them had tried to kill themselves on his blade.

Haywood really had gone mad.

“Please,” Haywood said, and there was more pain in his voice than anything Geoff had ever heard. He’d seen men dying, and it hadn’t been like that. Hadn’t been quite so brutal- and quite so pathetic. It was one of the most satisfying sounds that Geoff had ever heard. “Finish me before he comes back!”

That wasn’t right? What did he say?

Gavin let out a confused squeal, and Geoff could empathise. This wasn’t a normal situation. Even mad men usually didn’t beg him to kill them. They usually did whatever they could to survive. What was this?

“I- what?”

“Please! I made a mistake and now he’s in my mind, and he’s going to come back! He’s going to kill you! He’s been threatening to for years, but he’s been waiting! Now- I’m gaining control, and he doesn’t like that! You have to finish me! Finish him!”

Geoff looked down at Haywood- at the man who had tortured them for years. There wasn’t any of the man’s malevolence. There was just honest _fear_ and honest regret. Geoff had always considered himself to be a good judge of character, before the Mad King. Haywood didn’t quite look like the murderous psychopath that had ruled over them.

He looked like Ryan.

“Don’t hesitate, please! I can feel him- he’s fighting back! He’s going to beat me, Geoff!” The way that he said Geoff’s name was too innocent. There was no smug pride, like the Mad King had always exhibited. There was genuine pain, and suddenly Geoff didn’t think he could do this.

He didn’t know what had happened. Didn’t know what Ryan was talking about, but he couldn’t kill a man like that. Couldn’t kill a man, who was possibly completely innocent of any wrongdoing, when said man was grovelling at his feet. When said man was pressing a sword against his own throat.

Geoff’s sword hand was shaking, and the sharp blade was just opening up more cuts on Ryan’s throat, and the man didn’t seem to notice.

“What happened, Ryan?” Ray asked, breaking through the man’s pleading.

“I- the cow. It was holding something- a parasite, a monster- I don’t know. I was trying to kill him, and he left the cow and he went into my mind, and I couldn’t control myself, anymore. Edgar wouldn’t let me. You have to kill him, or he’s going to kill all of you!”

“He might be lying, Geoff.” Michael warned, under his breath. Ryan heard it.

“Don’t trust me- fine! Just kill me! That’s all I ask!”

“Don’t you dare, Geoff.” Ray practically growled, shooting a glare at the warrior across from him.

It was Jack’s hand on his arm, pulling the sword back that sealed Ryan’s fate. Geoff sheathed the sword, and looked anywhere but at Michael.

“No, no, no! Don’t- You have to-” Ryan was cut off by Michael’s foot stomping against his skull, effectively knocking the man into oblivion. It would take a few minutes- at least- to wake up from a blow like that. Michael had kicked him with the heaviest pair of armored boots that the castle had in stock. Ryan would have a headache for days- magic or not. Magical parasite thing or not.

“If he is lying, I will blame this on you, Geoff.” Michael sounded more serious than Geoff had ever heard him. There was an angry edge to his voice- like he was going to storm off at any moment and slice his way through Ryan, on his way.

“Understood, Mogar.” The use of Michael’s warrior name seemed to soothe him, slightly. It probably made him feel more respected.

Honestly, Geoff did respect his opinions. He just couldn’t kill a man who might be innocent. He wasn’t that type of person. He couldn’t do that.

“So what do we do with him?” Gavin asked.

“I think I have an idea.” There was an edge to Michael’s voice that was a mix between fury and pleasure. It was not a good mix.

* * *

The unconscious man woke up an hour after Jack and Michael dragged him into the dungeons. He was already chained down- already locked away in the same way that they had been. Even if Ryan was telling the truth, they couldn’t risk him lying.

Besides, the shackles were meant to prevent the use of magic. Even if the parasite did exist, it would make sure that it couldn’t escape. As it turned out, it was a good choice to make, because the man was not in a sound state of mind upon waking up.

When the man’s eyes opened, they weren’t blue.

“The hole? Fitting, I have to say.” The man said, as he gazed around the cell. Despite his multiple injuries, he didn’t seem to be suffering any pain. It was completely contradictory to his previous persona, that had been hurt and emotional. This version was apathetic and comfortable.

Something in Geoff didn’t want to see the other version, and something else in him hated that.

“Who are you?” Geoff asked, instantly.

The toothy grin was back, and so was the calculated coolness. The King- or rather, the Former King- sighed, and shook his head.

“Took you long enough. It’s been pathetic wearing the Mage, and you’ve all just made it worse. ‘Ryan, don’t! We’re supposed to be friends!’” The mocking, of the early days of Haywood’s reign, stung somewhere low in Geoff’s chest. “Pathetic.”

“Who are you?” He repeated, without allowing any ounce of hurt to show on his face. He called on every ounce of kingly diplomacy to ensure that he wouldn’t completely explode from rage.

“I don’t really have a name, where I come from. Some cultures call me the Enderson. The Mage calls me Edgar.” A darkness flickered over his face, when he declared his title.

Geoff had heard rumors of the Enderson. The child of the Ender Dragon- a creature that was a suitable opponent for any King. He must have been released, when Geoff had launched his assault on the End, in order to force the Endermen back.

Ryan must have been exposed to the dragon egg, somewhere along the way. Somehow, it must have infected his cow, and eventually, it could have taken hold of him.

It was possible, even if it wasn’t likely.

“You just want me to believe you? How do I know that you’re telling the truth? Prove it.”

“Why? What do I stand to gain?” The parasite- and Geoff was really believing Ryan, now- said. “I owe nothing to you, human. I owe even less to this Mage,” He gestured towards his own body- towards Ryan’s body. “So how about we stop pretending that I should care about any of you?”

The parasite raised his shackles up to the level of his throat, and his grin got even wider.

“I could strangle the Mage, right now, and nothing would happen to me. The worst case scenario is that I may lose my vessel. While I have to admit, he has been suitable, so was the cow. So are you. So are any of your friends- or guards- or any of the people in your little kingdom. You people are nothing to me, and you really do need to learn that,” He paused, and a disgusted expression crossed his face. “As does the Mage.”

The red eyes flickered blue again, and suddenly that disgusted look was gone. Ryan dropped, like a puppet with it’s strings cut. He crumpled to the floor, and stared up at Geoff like he was Ryan’s only lifeline.

Geoff was just happy that the chains weren’t pressed against his already-injured throat, anymore.

“Why didn’t you do it?” Ryan sounded defeated, and that stung more than anything the parasite had said.

“He just told me that killing you wouldn’t have changed anything.” Despite himself, there was a harsh edge to his voice. Even if he really did believe that it hadn’t been Ryan- that that had been too out of character for even madness to draw out- he still recognized his face as evil, from the years that he had spent under its control. He still felt disgusted every time that he so much looked at him.

“I know that.”

“So why-”

“Sometimes an end is better than an eternity, Geoff,” It sounded like his pain was coming back, and Geoff wished that he could knock him out again, so he wouldn’t have to experience that. “He happens to be immortal. By proxy, unless I’m killed, so am I.”

“You wanted to die out of cowardice?” He sounded cruel and he hated that, but he couldn’t hold it back. It was true. That was a cowardly way to die. He would have left them without any information, that he seemed to possess readily.

“Yes.” There was shame in his voice, and Geoff didn’t argue that it wasn’t necessary.

“Can you fight him?”

“Yes.”

“So why didn’t you?” Geoff accused, and suddenly he was angry. He was really, really angry. Fury was flowing through his veins, and suddenly he wanted to smash Ryan’s head against the wall. They had been trapped for years, a victim to the parasite’s control, and Ryan had had the ability to stop that, and he had done nothing. He wanted to beat the hell out of him for it.

“I wasn’t strong enough to hold him back for long. I’m still not. He’s been letting me-”

“You’re telling me a fucking Mage- the kings of controlling mgic- couldn’t hold back an Ender creature?” Ryan flinched, and Geoff really didn’t care. “You can’t hold back a parasite? You’re kidding me, right?”

His sudden hatred was probably irrational. Ryan was, apparently, as much a victim as the rest of them were. He was forced into this in the same way that they were. He had had as much input into this whole thing as they did. Maybe they could have fought in the beginning, but Ryan could have fought this whole time! He could have stopped it from the beginning, if he’d just killed the stupid cow when it first came into his house! Or if he’d told anyone about the alien living under his house!

Ryan didn’t even try to defend himself. The Mage just evaded his eyes, and looked down to the floor.

“You’re a coward.”

Ryan let out a cold laugh, and suddenly Geoff was very aware that he wasn’t talking to the Mage, anymore.

“Thanks,” The red eyed creature said, looking up to meet his eyes. “I’m just going to let him stew on that for a couple of years. You’re a good help, Ramsey. Maybe now, he’ll shut up, for once. He’s actually being quiet, right now. That’s nice.” Geoff could sense the sneer in the parasite’s voice, and he hated it. Hated that, apparently, he’d played into some game that it was playing. Hated everything about it’s ridiculous grin.

He walked out of the room to the sound of laughter.

* * *

Geoff woke up to the sounds of screaming and alarms. He grabbed a hold of his sword, forgoing the armor entirely, and stalked out of his room. The room that he still wasn’t comfortable in- didn’t trust due to the fact that it still had all of Ryan’s- all of the parasite’s things strewn throughout it. He needed to clear that out, or he would never be able to get comfortable there.

The sword was heavy, and his muscles were already aching from the fight earlier. He hadn’t held a sword (or anything, other than the shackles) in years. His arms weren’t used to it. His entire body was still aching because of the heavy armorings that he had worn. A fight now would not be good for him.

Luckily, the others were waiting for him by the door. Gavin had a panicked look on his face- like he’d seen something much worse than a ghost.

“Ryan’s escaped!” The archer exclaimed. “He broke the bars and I think he’s going to the throne room!”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Michael tried!”

The warrior bit his lower lip and shook his head. The movement showed off the two wide scratches running down his face, that looked like they’d need to be dealt with soon, because blood was already beginning to pool down his neck. Geoff didn’t know how he didn’t notice that, before. The cuts seemed to run deep. Deep enough that one of them would have to take a look at it, or it would probably get infected.

“Turns out bars are sharp when you snap them in half. I didn’t know that.” Michael said, dryly.

Geoff almost wanted to apologize, because Michael had already warned him about Ryan, but he didn’t have the time. He could do that later, when the parasite wasn’t wandering around the halls of his court.

“Where’s he going- throne room?” Geoff asked. This time, Jack nodded. “We have to go, then!”

* * *

They found Ryan- blue eyed and straddling Kerry’s dead body. His fingers were wrapped around the servant’s neck, still squeezing, and when they pulled him away, there were dark blue fingerprints on Kerry’s throat.

Ryan was crying- telling them to knock him out- to kill him- to do anything! He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t handle it, anymore. Couldn’t fight- couldn’t do anything!

It was a pathetic sight, and for the first time, Geoff actually found himself feeling bad for the man. He might have been angry at Ryan, (incredibly, horribly angry, because he should have been stronger! He should have fought back! He should have done something- anything!) but he could understand his pain- even if he couldn’t empathise. It must have been bad to be forced to kill people that he considered friends. It must have been horrible. Geoff hadn’t even been able to kill Ryan, even with everything that the parasite had done in his body. To be forced to kill a friend must be agonizingly painful.

His face hardened, when he realized that it must have been worse for Kerry.

It was around the time that Ryan repeated “I had to watch!” for the fourth time, that Michael knocked him out, again. This time, it was with the blunt end of a sword.

Geoff was just happy that he hadn’t used the sharp edge.

* * *

“You’re saying that it’s an Ender creature?” Jack asked, already combing through the piles of books on Ryan’s desk. It was a miracle that the parasite hadn’t burned the place to the ground, yet. The tiny dirt house that Ryan had lived in before the revolution was still standing. It had been left to gather dust, and hadn’t been looked at since.

Ryan’s collection of books provided further proof that he was telling the truth. His desk, alone, had over twenty books on the effects of Ender creatures on earthly beings.

“That’s what it told me. Called itself the ‘Enderson’ or something. That’s the Ender dragon’s kid, right?”

“Yes. That might be why it’s so angry with us. We did kill it’s father.”

“Or mother.”

“Or mother.”

Jack threw another book onto Ryan’s bed, and a cloud of dust floated off of the cloth. A bug crawled out of the pillow, and flew over to the wall.

“Been a while since we’ve been in this place, huh Jack?” Geoff mused, looking over the small house with a light grin on his face.

“Been a while since we’ve been in most places.” Jack said. He might have been right, but he sounded like he was being an asshole about it, so Geoff ignored him.

“Remember when he put Ed-that cow in the hole. We thought that he was a psycho. Turned out, we were kind of right.” Geoff ran a hand over the glass that had once hidden Ryan’s apparently evil cow. Now that he thought about it, there was something under there. Some sort of energy that just felt wrong to touch. He pulled away, uncomfortable with the latent magic.

“Apparently the cow was a psycho, not Ryan.”

“We were on the right lines.” Geoff shrugged, and Jack laughed.

“You’re an asshole.”

“I try hard to be.” It felt nice to resort back to playful bickering, for once. It had been years since they had resorted to something like that. Unlike Gavin and Michael, who had continued their interactions, Jack hadn’t spoken much since the parasite’s revolt. He spoke more than Kerry, but his voice was always low. His statements were always short, when he did make them.

It was nice to see the old Jack, after all of that.

Midway through Geoff’s reminiscing, Jack took a seat on Ryan’s crafting table, and practically stuffed his face into one of the books- with an old leather covering and dust flowing through the pages. Geoff didn’t even notice his sudden interest.

“Geoff, do we still have the dragon egg?” Jack asked, suddenly.

“Yeah. It’s in the trophy room. Why?”

“What about the Ender pearl?”

“I don’t think it can get in there.”

Ryan had warded the trophy room against magic users the day that they had killed the ender dragon. Apparently most of the artifacts that were kept in that room were essential for magical rituals that weren’t exactly made for good reasons. If the parasite really was from the End, a place practically drowning in magic, he wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere near that room.

Looking back on it, that was probably the best decision that they had made. They had hidden  some important things locked inside of the trophy room. The crown’s of all of the previous kings lined the walls like paintings. There were records of their history piled on the floor. If it was lost, so would their entire past be. Ryan warding that room might have saved their historians a lot of trouble.

“I think I found something, Geoff.”

* * *

Kdin was oddly intimidating, dressed in the skins of the Ender dragon. He, much the same as Ryan, hadn’t aged since they had seen him, last. The skins were still perfectly bright- still glowing purple. He still looked as young as the day they had given him the hide of the dragon.

It had been an even trade. Kdin had given them the Portal to get into the End, and in return, they had given him a trophy, in the form of the Ender Dragon. Both sides had left as satisfied as the other.

Now, Geoff was beginning to think that Kdin had gotten the better end of the deal.

Kdin grinned at them, when they walked in, and it was slightly relieving to see. Someone in the kingdom not grinning with teeth was refreshing.

“Good to see you again, my Lords! I hear that you overthrew the Mad King! I’ve been waiting ages to hear that news!” Kdin shook their hands, gratefully. “Business has been practically dead, since Haywood took the throne. I was really getting worried about it. Rumor had it that he was going to outlaw Mages.”

That was news to Geoff. The parasite was a being of magic, himself! His host (and that hurt to say, a little) was a Mage! There should have been no reason for him to outlaw the practice of magic!

“Why would he have done that?” Jack asked, voicing Geoff’s concerns.

“Did you not hear? He has been persecuting Mages across the kingdom. Many of us have gone into hiding to avoid him.”

“Why haven’t you?” Geoff asked.

Kdin just shrugged, and gestured to the store surrounding him. It glowed slightly brighter, in response. A few of the pearls floated, slightly above their perch.

“This is my livelihood. I need access to an Ender Portal to do my job. The only frame in this continent is here. As long as he still allowed me access to it, I didn’t really have a choice.”

That was the one thing that Geoff would never understand about Mages. They were too dedicated to a duty that only they really respected. It was honorable, if a little stupid.

“Well, I can promise you, now, that Mages no longer have to fear for their lives. The court means you no harm.” Geoff promised. The grin on Kdin’s face told him that his choice was sound.

“That’s great to hear, my Lords. But I do have to ask- why did you come to me? You’ve barely regained your throne. You should be there.” There was a concern in the Mage’s voice, that there really shouldn’t have been. He barely knew them. He shouldn’t care.

“Kdin, just call me Geoff,” Hearing honorifics, after so many years as a prisoner, made him slightly uncomfortable. “And I’m here, because we need help.”

Jack dropped his bag, filled with every ingredient that Ryan’s book had detailed. From the dragon egg, to the blood of both Ryan (which Michael had procured with gusto) and the cow that the parasite had once possessed, to the vial of energy from the cow’s hole, to Ryan’s book, to a thin emerald necklace that had strange sigils carved into the sides. Jack dropped it onto Kdin’s desk, and shot the Warlock an apologetic look.

“What is this for?” Kdin asked, after he dug through the many ingredients. He ghosted over the necklace, repelled by the carvings in its sides.

“We need you to make a potion.”

* * *

Michael’s face was shadowed by the vast amount of bandages running down the left side of his head. The cuts, luckily, hadn’t looked like they were going to be infected, anytime soon. Even if it was going to, if the cure worked, then they would have their medic back. Ryan could whip up some potion, and suddenly Michael would be fine again.

Just like Ryan looked completely fine, now. There was no wound in his leg, anymore. No marks from where Michael had knocked him out of consciousness. He looked too healthy for a man who had spent the past two days rotting in a cell, only accompanied by a red eyed parasite.

The second that the prisoner set his blue eyes on Michael, he pushed himself back. He didn’t stop until his back slammed against the wall, and his eyes flickered from the pool of blood on the floor, to the warrior.

Geoff would have to talk to Michael later about the process of “gently” drawing blood.

“I’ll take care of it.” Geoff offered.

Michael let out a low, guttural, growl, and snatched the bottle out of his hand. The purple liquid jostled, almost spilling out from the force of his motion. He cracked open the door, without the slightest glance at Geoff.

That wasn’t how Michael acted, and Geoff could understand that. This was more Mogar, the warrior- ready to slaughter at any second, than Michael.

“Sorry,” Ryan said, with the lowest edge of humor. He backed away a little further, but was forced to stop by the corner of the cell. “I don’t drink.”

When Geoff looked, again, his eyes were purple.

“Your choice,” Michael offered, his voice low and deep. “You can drink it, or I can force it down your throat.”

The purple in his eyes turned red, and the parasite’s jaw hardened.

“Try it.” The parasite said, through clenched teeth.

Michael’s shark grin rivaled the parasite’s, and kicked it into a hole. It was crueler than anything Geoff had expected to see on his friend’s face. Mogar had always been a cruel person, at heart. It definitely contributed to the levels of terrifying fury in his eyes. Here, he looked worse than the Ender creature had, any day.

“My pleasure.”

Sometime in the process of forcefully pouring the liquid down the parasite’s throat, the eyes flickered blue.

* * *

Ryan wasn’t the same person as he had been, before the parasite. He might have looked exactly the same. He might have sounded the same, but mentally he wasn’t in the same place.

If the five of them had changed, the Mage had followed their leads.

The awkwardness was Jack’s change. The subordination was Michael’s. The forced cheeriness, that they could all sense was not quite genuine, was Gavin’s. The false trust was Ray’s. The anger was Geoff’s.

Ryan seemed to have two. Dedication and fear.

The first thing that Kdin had warned them about that particular spell was that the expiration date wasn’t very far away. Ryan would have three months in control, and then the parasite would be back, and the spell would never work again. They had three months to get the parasite out, permanently, or it was never going to happen.

It had been an hour, and Ryan had already combed through half of the books in his house. His bed was practically covered in half-read pieces of literature, that Ryan had apparently deemed useless. There were new pen marks covering the pages- marking anything that Ryan found remotely interesting. Ryan was moving like a machine- grabbing a book, scanning through it, and throwing it behind him.

So far, he had gone through a quarter of the books, and there were only two that he had found useful. That didn’t spell out good things for their future.

“What’s so bad about this?” Geoff asked eventually. At the sound of his voice, Ryan practically leapt away from him.

The man was acting like a scared rabbit, and Geoff couldn’t understand why. The parasite was gone. Ryan had already had a week to get over it. He should have started to deal with it, like they all had learned to. Instead, he just seemed to be collapsing into himself and onto his desk.

“I mean, it’s just a possession, right? That’s normal for Mages, right?” Geoff specified, when he saw the confused look on Ryan’s face.

“Possession is normal- when you’re using Nether magic. It’s completely different forms. Not only that, but usually it’s a Mage possessing an animal. Mages possessing people- or other Mages- isn’t very common. For an Ender creature to possess a Mage,” His voice cracked. “Unprecedented.”

“How’d it get into your head, anyway?” Geoff asked, after a few moments of silence.

Ryan’s fists clenched around the paper, and he slammed his eyes shut. His pen bent under his grip, and looked ready to snap.

“I think that Edgar was in the egg. We left it in here, remember? Somewhere along the line, he must have infected the cow,” Ryan dropped his book, and turned around to face Geoff. Geoff didn’t comment on the fact that he was practically impaling his palm on his own pen. “I noticed, and I put it in the hole.”

“That’s why you did that!” Geoff exclaimed, with a sudden realization. They had all thought that that was the first sign of the Mad King’s madness. Trapping a poor and innocent cow, in the way that he would eventually trap them. They had thought that it was sick, at the time. Maybe Ryan had been right, all along.

“Yeah,” He sounded pained- like every word was another knife being stabbed through his skin. “I looked into how to kill it,” He gestured to the many books around them. “Because I liked that cow, you know? I didn’t want to kill him, if I could kill Edgar alone. Eventually, I found something. A minor spell, but I thought it could work. It was supposed to just expel him from the cow’s body. I didn’t expect him to find his way into mine.”

“So you damned Achievement City, because you were trying to save a cow?” It sounded stupid, but it also sounded like Ryan.

“Yes,” He dropped the pen, before it could cut through his skin. “I tried to fight back, but I wasn’t strong enough. He pretended to be me for a while- I don’t think any of you noticed- and then he started the war.”

“How long did it take before it revolted against me?”

“About a few months.” Ryan answered. Geoff had a feeling that he knew exactly how long ‘a few months’ actually was.

That honestly hurt a little, because that meant that he had still been their friend. They had all been close to the man, and for months not a single one had noticed anything odd about him. Even the eyes, they had all assumed to be just another successful spell. He had been trapped- a puppet for a master to toy with- and none of them bothered to question it.

It hurt that they’d been too stupid to notice. It must have hurt the Mage more.

“What made it attack?”

“I was still fighting back, and it was starting to annoy him, so he was trying to convince me to stop. He thought that hurting you guys would stop me.” Ryan’s eyes looked unfocused, and he was either reminiscing on the events, or he was talking to the parasite inside his mind. Both were things that Geoff didn’t want him doing.

“Did it work?”

“Yes. A month after he took the throne, he offered to let you all live in peace, if I relinquished control. I gave in.” Ryan explained. His eyes shot back to the book, as if he wanted to go back to work before he could say anything else. Geoff, for all that he now wanted to, couldn’t let that happen. Because this meeting was explaining a lot of mysteries, that he had thought would go unsolved.

After the first month, the parasite had left them alone. He’d stopped with the daily shaming- the daily boasts. One day, he’d just given up on toying with them, and had left them to Kerry’s devices, and all of them had just thought that he’d grown bored of them. There were the monthly meetings, but sometimes Geoff just thought that that was Ryan checking to see if they were even still alive.

Apparently, it wasn’t. Apparently, it had just been some sick promise that the parasite- that Edgar- had fulfilled. Apparently, it was Ryan keeping them alive.

He was feeling a little sick, now.

Geoff couldn’t just leave it at that short explanation. He needed more. He needed to understand everything that Edgar had done since he had locked them away, and even before that. He needed to understand what Edgar had done to the five- to the six of them, since he had taken control of Ryan’s body.

“Why was he killing the Mages, if he had promised you peace?” Geoff asked, after a long moment of silence.

“He didn’t promise me peace. He promised you peace. He still didn’t like me. I’d fought him since the start. He still wanted to get back at me, somehow.”

“Had he not, already?”

“He didn’t think so.” There was something cold- something broken in Ryan’s voice.

Something in Geoff wanted to help the Mage. The rest of him, the part that was remembering years of slavery at this man’s hand, was disgusted at the thought. That angry part just wanted him to smash Ryan’s skull against the wall.

In the end, he compromised between the both of them. He just had one last question.

“Why didn’t you fight back- if he was killing your people?” Because that was the question of the hour, wasn’t it?

Ryan flinched, and ducked his face down towards his book. It took him a minute to answer, as he combed through the chapter.

“Because he would have hurt the five of you.”

Geoff left the house, feeling a little nauseous.

* * *

Michael was the only one of them who wasn’t in the throne room, that night. The five Lords had an agreement, that they’d made the second that Ryan had been given the cure. One of them would always have to keep an eye on him, no matter what. If Edgar took control, at least they could warn the others, if they couldn’t stop him.

Ryan was unstable enough that that could happen at any second.

Knowing the warrior, he was probably keeping Ryan in the dungeons. He was probably the most angry out of the five of them, when Ryan was involved. He still refused to accept Ryan’s explanations. He still refused to treat the Mage like anything other than the parasite that was slithering through his veins.

The anger probably harkened back to the days when Michael had lived with his tribe. To the days when it was kill or be killed, for the man. Where retribution was commonplace, and morality was unheard of. The days where Michael didn’t exist, but Mogar ran free.

Geoff wasn’t comfortable seeing Michael like that, again. They had worked hard to pull him away from that mindframe. All six of them had, including Michael. It was hard seeing that hard work shatter away, leaving behind only a warrior.

So maybe he was a little happy that Michael was with Ryan, instead of with them. It was a relief, not to have to see him so angry constantly. Even if it just meant not getting to see him.

“So, how’s he with you guys?” Ray asked, eventually, with that slight hesitation that he always had when talking about Ryan. He sounded more cautious than he should have, when talking about a friend. Sadly, it fit the situation.

“He didn’t stop reading during my watch. I think he’s making headway.” Jack answered, softly- hopefully.

“Really? He talked a lot with me!” Gavin announced, with a little too much excitement. “I don’t think he really wanted to, though. He kept telling me to shut up.”

“I would too, Gavin.” Geoff said.

The younger man squealed, and threw a cushion at Geoff’s head. It missed, by multiple feet. Sometimes Geoff really wondered how it was possible that he was skilled with a projectile weapon, when he couldn’t even throw a cushion at someone’s head accurately.

“He talked a lot with me, too,” Ray said, after a few moments. “He apologized a lot.”

“He’s changed, hasn’t he?” Jack said. There was a sad edge to his comment, that weighed heavily on Geoff’s shoulders.

How would they even have noticed if he’d changed? They hadn’t even noticed when Edgar had stolen his body, in the first place. A personality change didn’t seem like much in comparison.

Besides, spending years with an Ender creature in his mind must have wreaked havoc on his psyche. It was understandable to change, after being subject to that.

“We all have,” Ray said. “Maybe his change was just in a different way.”

* * *

“Everytime I think I’m onto something, he fights and I lose track and I lose my place! I don’t get time to think anything over, because he’s always there, and he’s always interrupting, and screaming, and I can’t focus!” Ryan sounded exasperated, and Geoff couldn’t blame him. The past few months had been stressful on all of them.

They had only two weeks left, before Kdin’s potion would wear off. Only two weeks for them to search, and find a way to expel an Ender creature from their realm, forever. Two weeks to save themselves- and Ryan- from Edgar.

After that, they were screwed.

“We can help you, you know.” Geoff’s voice seemed to remind Ryan that, yes, he was ranting to an actual person, and not just to himself. Ryan’s anger instantly cooled.

“You can’t. None of you are proficient enough in magic. You could miss something essential. I just- just need to find a way to shut his mouth.”

He had a point. There was no suitable help for him. Edgar had ensured that, by driving away so many magic users from Achievement City.

Kdin, the last Mage in their surrounding kingdom, was still gone. He’d taken a venture into the End weeks ago, and he hadn’t returned since. It wasn’t exactly a worrying thing. Time passed differently in the End. For Kdin, it had probably only been a few hours since he had set off.

Geoff just wished that he would come back, soon. Another Mage would be more than helpful. If Kdin didn’t get back in time, they might all be screwed.

“Didn’t he get you to stop fighting? Can’t you- I don’t know- shut him down, or something?” Geoff asked. Ryan hesitated, slightly taken aback by the question.

“He got me to stop by torturing you. I don’t think it would have the same effect, with him.” Ryan winced, and Geoff knew, by the expression on his face, and by the way he tensed, that Edgar was saying something to him.

“Yeah, you’re right. He might jizz in his pants.”

“Shit!” Ryan jokingly dropped his hand down to his pants, faking panic, and Geoff let out a loud, bellowing laugh in response. Ryan echoed him with another, slightly nervous, laugh. It felt familiar- comfortable. A simple stupid joke that almost (almost) made Geoff forget about everything, for a split second.

Then, Ryan’s face fell again, and his shoulders tensed. He shut his eyes for a second, listening to whatever messages Edgar was whispering to him. He looked pained- agonized, and when Geoff tried to grab hold of his shoulder, he jerked away like the touch burned.

“I-” Ryan tried, but he trailed off, instantly. “I should, uh, work.”

Geoff wanted to ask what Edgar could have said that killed the mood that quickly, but experience told him not to. For Ryan, talking about it always seemed to make it worse. Questioning him would only lead to more comments, and the Mage never reacted well to that.

Nothing seemed to kill the mood faster than Edgar, and nothing seemed to kill Ryan more than talking about it.

“I’ll go get Jack.” Geoff said, with more awkwardness than he intended.

“Yeah.”

So Geoff left.

* * *

Kdin returned that night, and Geoff gave him a letter and an order. They wouldn’t see him again for weeks.

* * *

Marcus Nutt, of the kingdom of Nuttingham, was a figure of legend. His proficiency in archery was unrivaled, and his talents as a ruler surpassed anyone else in the surrounding Kingdom’s. His lands were among the richest in the world, and his crown- covered in diamond, rubies, and quartz- practically screamed that at them.

He had come to replenish ties with them, and he brought mounds of rubies as an offering. His men, who usually trailed behind him like a pack of loyal dogs, had decided to aid Jack in moving them to the trophy room. For now, the four remaining men were sitting in the throne room, listening to Nutt brag about his most recent hunt.

Gavin was, understandably, the most excited for his arrival. As a fellow archer, it was probably an extraordinary event for him. Nutt was legendary with a bow, and the amount of respect that the lanky man had for Nutt was unimaginable.

Geoff, on the other hand, wasn’t as happy with the man’s arrival. Nutt hadn’t made any effort to help them, during Edgar’s reign, and it had taken him three months to meet with them, afterwards. For someone who considered himself to be their ally, he hadn’t acted with all of the urgency that he could have.

From what he’d heard, Burns had tried to help them- had armed the peasants to defend themselves. Tuggey had, as well, in the way that she had offered asylum to the Mages (and thankfully, many of them had accepted it). Even Sorola had, even going as far as to stage a revolt against Edgar, in the initial days of his rule. While it had failed, at least he had tried.

Nutt had done nothing, and Geoff couldn’t forgive him for that.

Nutt was spinning his stories, and it was starting to get on his nerves. The way that Gavin was hanging onto his words, with baited breath, pissed Geoff off. The way that Michael was examining his arrows- all carefully crafted with diamond. The way that Jack didn’t look quite as suspicious as Geoff felt.

More than ever, Geoff wanted to be where Ray was. He’d rather be watching over a panicked Ryan, and having to look at his face- a face that brought so many bad memories- than having to look at Nutt’s.

He glanced at the window, that took up practically half of the wall, and watched the sun dip, slowly. It took far too long for it to set.

“I had no arrows left, thanks to the wolves, and the bear was closing in on me! It was kill or be killed, and I knew it. So I managed to dodge its attacks, and I ran. It was then that I came upon a cave. I ran inside, and I found a stick on the floor. I grabbed it, and I realized that it was probably the only weapon that I would find, so I walked out to face it, but along the way, I saw something. It was small, but it had the same brown fur as the bear did, and I realized exactly what it was attacking me for! I was in it’s territory, and it feared for it’s cubs. So I dropped the stick, and I left. No need to kill a parent, was there? It was only protecting it’s child. So I left, and on that day, no one- not man, nor bear- met the sword. And that’s why I carry a sword. Because arrows can run out, and if the bear hadn’t intervened to stop the wolves, I would have died.” Nutt explained, with a grin on his face.

“‘No one met the sword?’ Didn’t the wolves?” Michael asked, ignoring the squawks of excitement that Gavin was emitting.

“You have a point there, Sir Mogar. Fine- No man, nor bear met the sword.” Nutt didn’t look offended by the comment. He just looked pleased that a warrior like Michael was listening to him, in the first place.

Geoff glanced back outside, and the sky was red, illuminated by a setting sun. It wouldn’t take long for it to set completely, and Ray was going to be bringing Ryan back to the dungeon, soon. He was going to have to take his place in the watch, and he wanted to change into something more comfortable for that. Unsurprisingly, after years spent in rags, the thick robes of a King weren’t exactly fitting, anymore.

“Well, you may all continue your stories. I’m going to turn in for the night.” He left out his actual intentions, still too wary of Nutt to attempt that. He didn’t know how loyal Nutt was to Edgar. He didn’t want to risk him harassing Ryan, while he was trying to work. There was still a week left for the Mage to research. He needed to work fast, or they would all be screwed.

Nutt followed his gaze to the window, and the other King’s eyes widened. He let out a laugh- that was far too jovial.

“I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten! I apologize for keeping you, King Geoffrey. Please, let me lead you and your allies to your quarters.”

“I don’t-”

“I insist, Geoff. Consider it an apology for not aiding you through Haywood’s rule. It was below wrong for me to do.

“I-” Geoff glanced over to Jack, and the expression on the blacksmith’s face forced his hand. “If you want.”

Gavin pumped his fist, slightly, and Michael slapped him over his head for it.

“Professionalism, Gav.” The warrior stressed. Gavin just laughed, in response.

Nutt held the door for them, when they walked out, and Geoff hated him a little more for it. He was annoyingly good, and he shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t even have come into their kingdom. He should have just sent some messenger, and been done with it. He was too polite- too formal- and Geoff hated him for it.

Geoff was so sick of diplomacy, after the months that he had spent reorganizing his kingdom. Even before Edgar, he had never been a fan of it. Now, it was practically unbearable, with him having to right the damage that Edgar had wreaked.

“I do apologize for my abandonment,” Nutt said, when they began their walk. The castle was large, and it would take quite a while to get from point A to point B. Geoff was not excited for the conversation that was bound to ensue, due to that comment. “I’m sure you have heard of the drought in my lands? I had my knights aiding the peasants, and nothing was getting done. I didn’t have the capacity for war, Geoff.”

That was news to him.

“You had a drought? Why haven’t I heard anything about that?”

“We trade on different routes,” The other King explained. “I can’t imagine news getting to you very fast. Not many people travel across whole continents to spread messages.”

Geoff’s mind raced back to Kdin for a second, and he ignored the worry as quickly as it came. He was going through the Nether, where time moved so much slower. It wouldn’t take him long to get to Rwby. He could do it in time. A week wouldn’t be too hard for him to manage.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear. Is there anything we can help you with?”

“No, we’ve since recovered. The rain returned last month. We should be fine, now. I appreciate your concern, though.” There was a grateful edge to Nutt’s statements, and it unnerved Geoff a little. A traitor shouldn’t feel grateful for anything he did for them.

Michael and Gavin were bickering, like usual, and Jack wasn’t even trying to break them up. He was just watching the exchange like a hawk, making sure that they didn’t say or do anything that would condemn them in Nutt’s eyes. Geoff was just glad that it meant that he, personally, didn’t have to worry about anything.

“So how did you defeat Haywood?” Nutt asked, after a few moments of silence.

“One of his servants set us free. We armed ourselves, and enough guards were still loyal to us that they just let us pass them by. The King was easy to defeat, after that.” The lie slipped off of his tongue, easily. The King had not been easy to defeat. There had been too much magic at hand for that to be true.

But it would make the story easier to tell, and Geoff didn’t want to talk to Nutt more than was absolutely necessary.

Nutt was about to say something, but he cut himself off before he could. His eyes were wider, and his hand instantly went to his sword. That was the first warning that something was wrong. The end of Michael and Gavin’s conversation was the next.

Geoff looked up, and there he was. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Nutt moved before any of them had the chance to stop him. His feet moved too quickly for Geoff to track, and his sword slashed without any warning. He was across the room before Geoff could even process what was happening. He was pushing Ray away, and reaching for the Mage that had practically been handed to him.

Ryan never reacted. He never fought back against the man. He just stood there, and let Nutt do as he wished.

The sword cut through his shirt with ease, along with a large portion of the skin on his chest. Blood- as red as the eye color that still haunted Geoff’s dreams- oozed out of the cut, and Nutt grinned- a terrifyingly fitting sight.

Ryan hit the ground without a word. He rolled over, off of his injured chest, and stared up at the ceiling without even glancing at his attacker. Nutt straddled the man, much like Geoff had when he had first toppled Edgar’s reign, and stabbed the blade into Ryan’s shoulder, unceremoniously.

The scream that left Ryan’s mouth was the most pitiful thing that Geoff ever heard.

Ray, who looked as surprised as the rest of them had by the sudden encounter, finally sprang into action. He unsheathed his dagger, and within seconds, he was pushing Nutt off of Ryan, and looking just about ready to stab the man, himself.

Geoff suddenly remembered that, yes, they were just standing there and, yes, he could intervene.

He unsheathed his own sword, and quickly ran over to the three- two, really- fighting men. Up close, Ray looked more furious, with his hands shaking, and his knuckles white around the handle of the dagger.

“Order your man away. I mean no harm to any, but to him.” Nutt pointed to the man on the floor, who’s eyes were an eerie shade of purple, that did not spell out good things for their future. The sword was still in his shoulder, but Ryan barely even seemed to notice it, beyond that first initial moment. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were glazed over, and his shoulder, the one that wasn’t pinned to the floor by a blade, was tense.

Geoff just hoped that this incident wouldn’t set Edgar off, early.

“I understand that, Mark, but there’s some details about this that you don’t know, and that we don’t have time to explain.” Geoff explained. He recognized how strange this must look for Nutt. After he had practically bragged about dethroning the Mad King, here he was protecting him. Here he was, standing over him, armed and ready to defend him.

Things had changed in the past few months.

“Ramsey, you are defending a murderer. You are defending your own enslaver! What madness has overtaken you,” The second that the question slipped out of Nutt’s mouth, his eyes shadowed, and he glared down at the injured man on the floor. “This is magic, is it not? It was said that you captured the King. You’re controlling him, aren’t you?”

To Geoff’s dismay, Ryan’s eyes flashed red- just long enough for him to say “Yes.”

Nutt had his bow in his hand before Geoff could even blink, and an arrow knocked even faster. If Geoff had thought that Gavin was quick on the draw, Nutt was remarkable.

“Ramsey, I’m sorry for this.” Nutt muttered, with genuine sorrow in his eyes.

Geoff didn’t have time to move, before there was an arrow lodged into his leg.

His scream was definitely louder- and much more pitiful- than Ryan’s, and he knew it. Knew it the second that it had left his mouth, and the second that he crumbled on top of the newly-injured leg, he knew that it got louder. Knew by the pain, stabbing through him, that it was bad. That there was an arrow head sticking out of the back of his leg, and a feather from the front. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

His wasn’t the only scream either, he noticed. There were others- that were more panicked than his was hurt.

He fell off of Ryan’s body, overcome by the sudden agony, and he barely even noticed. Everything was moving slow and fast at the same time, and he couldn’t process it. Couldn’t process anything around him.

Then, there were strong arms wrapping around his shoulders and dragging him away from the fighting, and he didn’t have the strength to push them back. The touch did work to stabilize him again, and it brought him back to the world of the living.

Nutt’s bow was already shattered, and there was an arrow- green- sticking out of the wooden frame. Nutt had pulled the sword out of Ryan’s arm, and now, he was using that to defend himself. The Lads were the only ones fighting him, and it was definitely a surprise to see Michael taking part in it.

The three of them were moving like a real team. Ray’s daggers were gliding, slicing through the openings that Michael offered him. Gavin’s arrows were firing off, and none of them were doing much, but rolling off of Nutt’s armors, but they worked well as a distraction. Michael was dancing around the man, taunting him and attacking him at the same time.

They worked well together. Amazingly, terrifyingly well.

Jack, the only one not taking part in the fighting, seemed to notice that Geoff was back, that he had come back to the land of the conscious, and the grin on the man’s face was less than reassuring.

“I’m going to get Ryan,” Jack whispered. “Don’t move. I don’t think Mark’s trying to hurt us. Just stay put, Geoff. He won’t go after you, if you don’t go after him.”

Geoff didn’t get a chance to respond, before Jack was hefting his axe and walking over to the men, who barely even seemed to notice him moving.

Geoff shifted, and tried to force himself onto his feet. It was a pointless endeavor, though, because the second the arrow shifted, that burning white-hot pain was back. Movement was obviously not going to happen, for the immediate future. He was just going to have to hope that Jack didn’t get hurt over there, because he was obviously going to be of no help.

By some feat of luck, Jack was able to drag Ryan back without much difficulty. He set the man down next to Geoff, and Ryan didn’t resist the movement, at all. The injured man looked beyond dazed- staring at nothing.

The purple eyes were as unnerving as the red, and Geoff was not liking the sight of that. It was too unnatural and too inhuman. Purple meant that Ryan was losing control, and they couldn’t have that. He was supposed to have a week left. He was supposed to hold Edgar back.

If Edgar took control, while Geoff was injured, and while the Lads were distracted, they would be screwed. They might as well roll over at his feet, and hand him the crown.

“Ryan, you gotta keep fighting.” Geoff demanded. His voice was hoarse, and it burned his throat to use it. His screaming had probably been the cause of that.

Ryan didn’t seem to process what he said, and the Mage just continued to stare up at the roof, without any sign that he was even in the same plane of existence at them. The purple was starting to get brighter, and that was not a good sign for Geoff.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Vagabond.”

“Geoff,” There was a pain in Jack’s voice that he didn’t like. It sounded as depressing- as dead as it had when they had been imprisoned. Like there was nothing left to hope for, so they might as well stop. It was a pain that was against everything they stood for. “Stop.”

“No!” He couldn’t just stop. Ryan was once- was their friend. They couldn’t just let him slip away, because an Ender creature wanted him to. He couldn’t let that happen! Everything in him screamed at him to stop this. That it was wrong- that it shouldn’t happen!

“Geoff.” Jack said. The sternness in his voice was uncomfortable.

“Jack, no!”

“We’re not getting through to him. You’re just going to make it worse.”

There was a scream from Nutt, as one of Gavin’s arrows grazed his neck. It was one of the most satisfying sounds that Geoff had ever heard.

“It’s _Ryan_ , Jack!” That was it, wasn’t it? It was Ryan. It had always been Ryan.

It was Ryan that he couldn’t kill, after years of torture at his hand. It was Ryan that he’d gone out of his way to help. It was Ryan that he had allowed out of his cell, despite the monster living in his mind. It was Ryan. It was their _friend_.

“You’re not going to help him. I don’t think he can even hear us.” Jack waved a hand over the Mage’s eyes, and the man didn’t even blink.

“It doesn’t-”

“No.” Ryan said suddenly, and his voice cut off Geoff’s argument. His eyes flashed blue, for a split second- maybe even less- before they settled back to purple.

The Lads suddenly seemed so much louder, now that the Gents had fallen into silence. Geoff could hear every grunt from Michael, every step from Ray, every one of Gavin’s shots, and every one of Nutt’s breaths. The thwack of Gavin’s string against the wood, when he fired a shot, was deafening. The sound of steel against steel was unending.

It stung Geoff’s ears, and he could do nothing about it.

“Jack, go help them.” He ordered, and the blacksmith tensed.

“What?”

“End this, and we can leave. Go help them.”

“But-”

“Go help them!”

Jack cleared his throat, and reached for the axe, that he had abandoned on the floor. It was large, and Geoff couldn’t have picked it up, but Jack hefted it like it was nothing.

The concerned look that he shot Geoff, before he went to join the Lads, would remain in his memory, forever.

“No.” Ryan said, again, accompanied by that same flicker of blue. It was a fitting comment.

“We’re gonna get you out of here, buddy. I promise.” Geoff assured. Unsurprisingly, Ryan didn’t react.

There was a loud scream from Nutt, that was music to Geoff’s ears. He moved, quickly, to try to reposition himself for a better view of what created that yell, but the flash of pain in his leg stopped him in his tracks. He could wait. He would find out later. He didn’t need to aggravate the wound any further.

In the end, there was one more yell, that was cut off, as quickly as it had begun. When the four soldiers stepped away, Ray’s daggers were caught in the bone of Nutt’s throat. Blood was spurting out of the wound, and the four left alive were drenched in it. There was silence for a few seconds, as the five conscious men realized what had just happened.

They had killed Mark Nutt. They had killed the beloved King of Nuttingham, an empire that controlled most of the continent. They had killed one of the most powerful people in the world, to defend someone who’s most known title was ‘Mad King’.

If Geoff wasn’t stunned, he might have thrown up.

Ryan was the first of them to move. He let out a low sound that might have been another “No.” Immediately after the word left his mouth, his eyes squeezed shut, as tightly as he could manage, and his shoulders relaxed. His jaw unclenched and his fists mimicked that.

He pushed himself onto his feet, and it was the grin that alerted them of what happened, before anything else.

“That’s too bad, Mage. I had hoped to make an ally out of you, yet. I’m disappointed.” The red eyes said otherwise.

Geoff really did throw up, then.

* * *

Kdin returned with an entourage, and Geoff, confined to his bed, thanks to his wound, didn’t even notice.

* * *

“Can you hear me, Geoff?” The voice was too familiar, and it just made Geoff feel sick.

He threw up again, and he slipped back into the darkness.

* * *

“It’s infected. I could heal it with magic, but…” The voice trailed off, awkwardly.

“It’s fine,” Another voice interrupted. “I can do it.”

* * *

He woke up again, and shadowy figures ordered him to drink something red. He didn’t fight them.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he felt fine. There was no nausea in his stomach. There was no pain in his head. All of the colors had settled, into their ordinary shapes. The noises had, as well, and everything was loud, again.

He could hear Gavin shrieking to his left, and he could see Michael slapping him across the head. Jack just grinned- a sight that was more than comforting. Ray was sharpening one of his daggers in the corner, but he had looked up when he realized that Geoff was awake. He wondered how long they had been standing there, and it made him smirk. They really did care.

His face fell when he looked to his left.

A blue eyed Ryan was standing by the door, away from any of the rest of the crew. The sight was enough to inform Geoff that, no, this wasn’t real. He shut his eyes again, and willed himself to wake up where the world was real.

* * *

The next time he woke up, Ryan was still in the room, and his eyes were still blue.

And every time after that, too.

Apparently, his plan had worked. Monty Oum, King of the lands of Rwby- the kingdom with the most connections to the End- had succeeded. Kdin had brought him back, and somehow, Monty had gotten rid of Edgar.

Geoff pushed himself off of the bed, barely aware of the still-agonizing pain, and shoved his face onto Ryan’s. The kiss was one of the most important things that he had done in years, and it was definitely one of the best. Even if Ryan did hesitate, before returning it.

* * *

The changes didn’t stop once Edgar was gone.

Geoff walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

Ray stopped liking red roses, and settled on the yellow flowers that graced the countryside.

Michael prefered to be called Mogar, now.

Gavin’s love for the bow had diminished, and his swordsmanship still hadn’t improved.

Jack had told Ryan to stop grinning his ordinary smile, and they all understood why.

Ryan didn’t use magic anymore.

Some nights, they could be normal. They’d sleep in Geoff’s room, with Gavin at the foot of the bed, and Ray on the floor. Jack would sleep on the bed with Geoff, and Michael would be in between them, because the warrior claimed that it was warmer there. Ryan would sleep on the armchair, with a thousand books surrounding him.

They redesigned the dungeons, after the kingdom had settled down. Most of them still refused to set foot in there.

They split the crown in five, between them. Geoff offered a sixth place, but Ryan’s face had paled so much that he threw away the idea that instant.

Nuttingham wasn’t difficult to conquer, with their king dead. Most of the citizens had been willing to join, just for the purposes of stability. Apparently, Nutt hadn’t had any heirs, and it would have been difficult to find any. Geoff didn’t complain.

They shut down the End Portal, after throwing a newly-infected cow inside, with great apologies to Kdin. The Mage didn’t complain, once Geoff offered to send him to Rwby, and support him for the rest of his days. He was surprisingly comfortable with the idea.

The kingdom settled back to normal, and people continued to go about their daily life. The Kings were stable, and so was the Kingdom. Edgar was gone, and the empire was greater.

In the end, even if the Kings suffered from nightmares on a daily basis, and even if their medic left the room whenever one occurred, they were fine. Even if Mages never returned to their lands, they were fine. Even if they weren’t fine, they had to be.

So they were.

**Author's Note:**

> So the moral of this story is to kill the fucking cow. Pacifism sucks. Just shank it. Don’t be a dumb.
> 
> The prompt is at http://milkteaghost.tumblr.com/post/71364770747/ill-post-a-cleaned-up-version-later
> 
> Sorry about not mentioning who prompted it, earlier, but it kind of spoils the whole thing, so I just decided to post it at the end. I had to change some stuff bc I suck, but it was cool! Really great prompt! This was fun to write!


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